Michigan wheat growers consider checkoff program

For the past two weeks (June 20-July 2), Michigan wheat producers have been voting on whether to establish a checkoff program for their product.

Corn and soybean growers are part of a checkoff program for those commodities. If the referendum wins approval, Michigan wheat growers would be assessed one half of one percent of the value of their wheat sold at the first point of sale.

That assessment would be forwarded to the permanent wheat committee, yet to be established. That committee would then implement the various rules as spelled out in Public Act 232, which deals with all checkoff programs in Michigan. Michigan Farm Bureau, with most of Michigan's wheat growers within its membership, established a committee to help growers interested in an affirmative vote. Bob Boehm, commodity and marketing manager at the state Farm Bureau said he worked on the first campaign for a wheat checkoff program 20 years ago. "We missed by about 140 votes."

Ed Cagney, a wheat grower in Kalamazoo County's Pavilion Township, said he's supporting the referendum this time around, just as he did last time. "Growers, " he said, "need to be more able to drive the research and development of wheat seed that is more productive, and certainly more resistant to some of the diseases and insects that have plagued growers for years."

Michigan-grown soft wheat, either white or red, is used in pasta and pastries, basically.

Soft red wheat may not be quite so valuable bushel for bushel as is white, but because of the aforementioned diseases and insects susceptibility -- particularly diseases -- red-wheat yields more than make up the difference.

Ed Cagney was primarily into white wheat until about 10 years ago, when some "issues" developed. He switched to red wheat, and hasn't looked back. Neither he nor Rob Richardson, of Vicksburg, is a member of the temporary wheat committee, although Richardson was a part of the effort 20 years ago. Richardson said wheat constitutes about 10 percent of his crop acreage.

He moves it around, as he considers wheat to be a valuable and convenient crop to rotate with corn and soybeans. Plus, he said after the wheat is harvested, that land is convenient for the distribution of hog manure in the still-remaining summer months. He, too, has switched from white to red wheat, for several reasons.

The disease problem is primary, that and the attendant diminished marketability of such a crop, as well as the limited nearby demand. If a miller won't take it, the next move is to a general grain elevator, and the locals accept red wheat, but not white. The cost of trucking to a receptive, but more distant elevator is "outrageous."